Using local resources, young men and women are rediscovering Kashmir’s age-old beauty traditions to create innovative skincare products. From saffron-infused creams to rosewater toners, these local brands are empowering artisans, and farmers and putting Kashmir on the global beauty map, reports Babra Wani
In 2017, Samiullah Magrey decided to start his skincare product manufacturing unit, a venture that quickly gained traction.
For over six years, Magrey and his team have produced items such as scrubs, moisturisers, skin creams, rose water, multani mitti, and apricot scrubs at their manufacturing unit in Lethpora. “Our family business is in saffron, so it made sense to incorporate saffron into beauty and skincare products. We have our saffron farms,” Magrey explained.
“Most of our skincare products contain saffron, except for the rose water,” Magrey said. “We have abundant saffron production in Kashmir, so we use it extensively. Saffron has very positive effects on the skin, and even many national brands claim to use it in their products, so I thought, why not?”
Magrey supplies its products to various showrooms across the region, with most customers being tourists. “Mainly tourists buy our products, but locals also purchase from us,” Magrey noted.
“We actually source the base cream from New Delhi, and then we mix saffron with it here,” he explained. “We also involve local farmers—for example, we procure rose water from them.”
Magrey, 32, employs six people at his manufacturing unit. The company uses social media for marketing and advertising, “We also have a website where people can explore and order our products.”
‘Ancient Futures’
Societies tend to rediscover the past for the present. Some call it ‘ancient futures’. That is precisely what a generation of young women are doing these days. They are rediscovering organic solutions for skin care and beauty by locating the right ingredients from Kashmir’s own eco-stem – rare herbs, trees, flowers, and plants, many of which have long been valued for their benefits.
Before the corporate and high-end commercial brands took over, these natural ingredients were central to the skincare and body care routines of both men and women. Now, users and entrepreneurs are relooking the past and coming up with outstanding solutions. It is a sector apparently in revival. It has already led to the launch of various brands, which are quickly gaining acceptability using social media.
Now, numerous entrepreneurs like Magrey have entered the market, producing skincare, beauty products, fragrances, and homemade soaps—all reportedly enjoying success.
Empowering Local Artisans
Romi Afroz’s family has been selling handmade beauty products from Kashmir for over three generations. “We procure these products from local artisans or home-based manufacturers who create skincare items, beauty products, and handmade soaps, and then we sell them,” said Afroz, a 24-year-old commerce student. “My grandfather started this business, then my father took over, and now I am running it.”
Romi’s brand, Royal Kashmir, works with more than 500 small-scale manufacturers across Kashmir. “We place bulk orders with them, and before production begins, we ensure the quality of the products. There is no compromise on quality,” Romi explained. “We are essentially second sellers, providing a platform for those who lack the authority or license to sell these products.”
Many of Romi’s artisans work from home. “For example, in the Pampore area, we mostly source our saffron scrub and saffron skin cream. The people there make these creams at home, and we then take them. Women or young girls predominantly produce our homemade and handmade soaps.”
Romi highlighted the range of handmade products available in Kashmir, including soaps, candles, and fragrances. “We also have our Kashmir-based rose water, which is mainly extracted from the locally grown Damask rose,” he said.
Besides the skincare and body care items, Royal Kashmir offers beauty products like lip tints and lip balms. “Our products are widely appreciated and liked by people,” she said.
A Brand Story
For Zahara Nedou, a resident of Srinagar, the motivation to create her beauty line stemmed from personal experiences and struggles with skin and beauty products.
“The motivation behind manufacturing my beauty line was myself,” Zahara said. Her manufacturing unit is based in Delhi. “It was after I left Kashmir to study abroad that the idea of creating my skincare products struck me.”
Zahara had always been interested in natural beauty care. “I realised how harmful store-bought chemical products were when I started getting allergies. My hair began falling out, I developed acne, and I experienced gluten intolerance, PCOS, and other hormonal problems,” she explained.
It was only when she returned home that she fully understood the impact of her environment. “The food we eat outside is chemically fuelled, and the skincare products we use contain horrible ingredients. Some people can live with that, but others, like me, feel all the effects,” Zahara said. “When I came back to India, my doctor told me to live a very clean life, both in terms of food and everything else I used, because that was my restriction.”
In 2017, Zahara began learning how to make her shampoo, creams, and other products. “Being originally from Kashmir, and visiting often, I had the privilege of using fruits, vegetables, and herbs from our home garden, which were chemical-free,” she recalled. “In Kashmir, everyone has a backyard and a front yard where something is grown. I was fortunate to have access to these resources, so I started experimenting with those ingredients. I familiarised myself with Kashmiri ingredients like saffron, roses, and indigenous herbs that do not even have English names.”
This led to the creation of her brand, Zahara Skincare, which now has customers across India and the UAE. “That is how I started my journey into clean and green skincare. Initially, I did not intend to create a brand. But 5-7 years ago, I realised there was a market for it, and no one was representing Kashmir,” she said. “As a proud Kashmiri, I decided to display what we have from our land, which is often better than what the rest of the world offers. That is how I built Zahara Skincare, which predominantly uses Kashmiri ingredients like walnut oil, apricot oil, and almond oil, among others.”
Zahara Nedou’s skincare brand has earned accolades, including Harper Bazaar India’s Brand of the Year in 2018 and 2020. It was also nominated for the Elle Beauty Awards in 2018 and won the Vogue Beauty Awards for 2020-2021. “We have been fortunate to be recognised across the Middle East and India by various beauty influencers, publications, Bollywood actors, royalty, and music artists. Our product line keeps growing, and we strive to share quality products,” Zahara said.
Zahara’s venture operates with a team of 12 members. “I like to keep my team small because I believe the smaller the team, the better the quality of the products,” she said.
A resident of fashionable Mounala Azad Road, not far away from Lal Chowk, Zahara often juggles between Dubai, Delhi, and Kashmir. She frequently seeks advice from her grandmother regarding traditional beauty products used in Kashmir.
In Kashmir and Jammu
Madiha Talat also lives in Srinagar and owns a skincare and beauty products label, Shirin Aromatics. “Ru Posh is the brand name under which we make all the organic skincare products. The extraction of the ingredients is done in Kashmir, while production takes place in Jammu,” said 26-year-old Madiha. “I was always passionate about essential oils, and my interest led me to read articles that inspired me.”
Madiha’s research into the local beauty industry revealed a gap in the value addition of essential oils. “I realised that people were extracting essential oils but not adding any value. That’s when it clicked that I should do some value addition through skincare products.”
Madiha launched her brand after the pandemic, offering a range of face care products, body butter, and masks. Key ingredients include lavender, rose, rosehip, and walnut. “We have our farms and sources who extract these ingredients for us,” she explained.
Managing her business single-handedly, Madiha oversees outsourcing, manufacturing, and marketing. “Mostly non-local tourists are more inclined towards my products. Our products are gender-neutral,” she said.
Shirin Aromatics’ products are shipped across India and internationally, reaching the USA and other parts of the globe. “We use social media handles, exhibitions, and other channels to reach our customers,” Madiha added.
Crafting a New Future
Another entrepreneur, Sana, has her soap-making brand, with an equally inspiring story.
Sana Aftab, a single mother of two from Srinagar’s Baghat area, began making soaps in her kitchen four years ago. After her divorce, she returned to her maternal home and turned her hobby into a full-time business.
“We started retail last year, and our soaps are completely organic and handmade,” Sana said. “We aim to produce soaps that are both useful and natural, using herbs, tea leaves, and other botanicals.”
Sana’s journey into soap-making began when she stumbled upon videos on Instagram showcasing the craft. “I found the process very creative and interesting,” she recalled. “When I first started, I used ingredients from my kitchen like oils, salt, sugar, honey, oats, and the essential ingredient, lye.”
With a bit of research, Sana turned her passion into a business. Today, she uses a variety of essential and plant oils native to Kashmir, including almond, walnut, apricot, and mustard oils. “We also use Kashmiri products like rose and lavender essential oils, dried herbs for decoration, and local clays like the wuddur soil from Pampore and seaph clay from Budgam,” she explained.
Sana holds a BTech in Electronics and Communication and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Manchester. Her ambition is to expand her business further. Recently, she started manufacturing other beauty products like shampoo, face wash, and body cream. “We have only produced these on a small scale so far, but we plan to go into retail soon to get feedback,” the 39-year-old entrepreneur shared. “We will soon introduce hair conditioners, masks, serums, and maybe even launch mineral makeup in the future.”
A Dentist’s Basket
Mallika, a 29-year-old dentist, owns a skincare brand that sources its ingredients from nature. “It’s a homegrown brand, and everything is natural,” she said. “I started it in 2020 during the COVID era, with a limited range of products to ensure quality.”
Mallika’s products, all handmade by local women, have gained popularity across India. “Initially, I gave them to friends for feedback, and after receiving positive responses, I started production,” she noted. “I now receive many orders for creams, soaps, and other products.”
Kashmiri Beauty Traditions
In September 1995, during Zohra’s wedding preparations in her village, the women of the community performed a traditional beauty ritual. The older woman applied kaeshur gew to Zohra, instructing her not to remove it until the mehandiraat. Zohra followed their advice, and on her wedding day, the results were met with praise. “Wuch naen che drasmetch ye,” Zohra recalled an elderly relative saying, “kaeshur gew chu aasan waariyaa asal bethis khaetre,” which translates to “You look radiant, this ghee is truly effective.”
Since then, Zohra has passed this ritual down to her daughters, sharing the tradition whenever they seek beauty advice.
The women of Zohra’s generation firmly believe in these Kashmiri beauty rituals, having used them throughout their lives. “We used to apply haldi (turmeric) on our faces for glowing skin. I remember my mother using milk on her face and egg white in her hair,” she said.
Another woman, now in her seventies, reminisced about using the root skin of the walnut tree to clean her teeth, “Our teeth used to shine bright, and it gave our lips a beautiful red tint. We also used the green outer shell of fresh walnuts to dye our hair. Even rice water was a staple for us—it works wonders.”
She added that henna, Vaseline, and Bimla cream were common in the beauty routines of Kashmiri women.
Kashmiri beauty rituals include a variety of natural treatments: milk baths, rose water facials, dried fruit scrubs, yoghurt hair masks, oil massages, herbal steam baths, salt scrubs, honey masks, and aromatherapy. These practices are known for their positive effects on skin, body, and hair. Essential oils such as lavender, and vegetable oils like mustard and olive oil have also been used for generations.
Although Kashmir’s cosmetics industry is still in its early stages, brands like those of Zahara are gaining global recognition, signalling a promising future for the industry. “There is huge potential here,” said an industry expert. “Kashmir has some of the best herbs and plants for skincare.”
